1. Medicine in the News Caffeine May Kill Skin Cancer Cells

2. New study discovers that caffeine may help kill off human cells damaged by UV light (major trigger of skin cancer) The study only applies to non-melanoma skin cancers, which do not metastasize or cause death in many cases The study of more than 90,000 Caucasian women found that with every cup of coffee consumed, there was a 5 percent decrease in the risk of developing skin cancer

3. How does it work? The UV rays can cause DNA to mutate or become cancerous Cellular suicide (apoptosis)=when the cells become damaged by UV light, cells initiate this suicide program Without caffeine, 1/500 cells will experience apoptosis when exposed to UV, but with caffeine, 1/200 cells undergo apoptosis

4. Cellular Suicide The normal cellular response when DNA is damaged is to activate a protein to initiate repair (Protein=ATR) ATR is caffeine’s target in the cell—Cells that are dividing, precancerous, or damaged need more ATR, but with caffeine, ATR is suppressed In this way, most of the cells that are likely to become cancerous are killed before they can do so

5. Caffeine and Sunscreen The study points out that, obviously, decaffeinated coffee does not have the same effect Also, the study reveals that it would take regularly drinking six cups of coffee a day to decrease the risk of skin cancer by 30 percent “Caffeine itself is a potent sunscreen,” however it should not replace topical sunscreen used today

6. Conclusion http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29409056/